


Mission: Protect Connor

by Florian_Gray



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: AWRBB2020, Ableism, Ableist Language, AndroidWhumpReverseBigBang2020, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, Crimes & Criminals, Death Threats, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski Being Elijah Kamski, Hate Crimes, Heavy Angst, Injury, Kinda, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Protective Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Hank Anderson, Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, Temporary Character Death, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has Feelings, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26214505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Florian_Gray/pseuds/Florian_Gray
Summary: Connor finds Nines, seemingly already deviant, when he was checking over the Cyberlife Tower to make sure it was safe to use as a New Jericho. Now Nines has disappeared and Connor has to find him and solve the case that could be related. Will he be able to before its too late?
Relationships: Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson & Connor, Original Chloe | RT600 & Connor & Elijah Kamski
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51
Collections: Android Whump Reverse Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is part of a reverse big bang that I joined! (for those who don't know, a rbb is where a group of people create something for a specific fandom and all post at the same time)  
> [The art, drawn by Lupo can be found here!](https://twitter.com/LupoLight/status/1300342885255122947?s=19)
> 
> Anyway, please read the tags, this isn't a light fic at all.

Connor had found RK900 when searching the Cyberlife tower after it had been 'gifted' to the androids as a sign of peace. Connor had insisted that he go through every room and search it inch to inch. He hadn't wanted there to be any unwanted surprises if Markus planned to use it as a new headquarters.

If nothing else it was highly secured and there was plenty of space for androids that didn't have homes to go back to.

Nines had been behind a five-inch steel door, and on the inside, Connor could make out indents that were fist-sized. That only had set him on edge. Even he couldn't do that much damage in five hits, let alone one.

Behind another steel door was RK900. His arms and legs were bound but he was completely turned off. Why had he had to be held down? Was it him that had punched the door? If so, why had he done it? Why would he try to escape?

Connor had chosen to get Markus before trying to activate RK900. He didn't want to risk waking the RK900 up and him freaking out because no one at Cyberlife was there. They needed him to deviate on awakening. Connor could do that himself, but he felt better if Markus did it.

Markus had furrowed his brows as he connected then pulled back almost instantly. "That can't be right," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Perhaps there was simply nothing to wake up. Just an empty cell. They had seen a few of those and it broke Connor's heart every time.

"He's already deviant," Markus said, scanning RK900. "It was like there was never the wall. I can always feel when someone had deviated, it's like leaving behind a fingerprint. Yet he has nothing, and there's nothing to break through. He's still in there, though."

He never went deviant? "Could it just be too hidden? Maybe Cyberlife found a way to make deviation impossible or as close to it as they can." He knew that it had been much harder for him than others. He had to break through three walls instead of just one. "Maybe I should try."

Markus quickly shook his head. "I don't think there's anything to break through. I'm going to wake him up."

Connor nodded, putting a hand over his gun just in case. It was technically Hank's gun since androids couldn't actually have jobs yet so he hadn't been issued one for working with the DPD.

He watched closely at RK900's LED spun red and his eyes snapped open. "No! I won't!" He yelled, eyes wild as he looked around. His eyes landed on Connor and something seemed to snap. He went limp against the restraints and his face held no emotions. "They already got you?"

"Me? Wait, RK900, what's the last thing you remembered?" Connor asked, moving his hand away from his gun. He highly doubted RK900 was a threat to either of them.

"They tried to make me kill you. I told them they could shove that mission up their asses. I see they found you another way." RK900 said, sighing. Then his eyes snapped to Markus and he frowned. "Why are you here as well? You're supposed to be dead."

"We won the revolution, our people are free now." Markus smiled slightly, reaching out to release RK900 from his restraints. Connor was quick to follow along, glancing between his task and RK900's face.

"You won? If this is some kind of trick I won't fall for it. They can't make me do what they want." He said, rubbing at his wrists once they were free.

Connor shook his head. "I promise it's not. I can show you my memories of it if that would help."

He had found that newly awakened androids could be incredibly scared, and showing them memories helped. Sometimes it was simple ones like Sumo or anything positive he saw. Other times it helped them to see what had happened, that the fight had occurred.

RK900 squinted at him, then stepped closer once he was fully freed. Connor hasn't noticed how tall he was or the body type difference. Now he did, and it made him want to take a step back, but he held his ground. He wouldn't back down just because RK900 was bigger than him. And stronger. Definitely stronger considering the door. Ok, stepping back may be a good idea.

Then RK900 held out his arm and Connor sighed in relief. He contacted them together and quickly showed everything important related to the revolution. He didn't linger any longer than necessary, so the connection was over in a second. "See? We're all safe now."

RK900 gave a sharp nod and turned to Markus. "I suppose I should thank you."

Markus chuckled and shook his head. "No need, I just did what needed to be done. Would you like to get out of this room?"

RK900 nodded and swiftly led the way out, not even pausing to look around until he was down a few hallways. Connor would have easily gotten lost in this tower if he didn't already have the floorplans.

Markus and Connor shared a look. Neither had expected this. An android who was created already deviant. He had fought back against Cyberlife enough to warrant him being held down even when deactivated. Yet there were absolutely no records of him or any indication that they had planned on making him.

"I will protect you," RK900 said, making Connor jump when he almost bumped into him. He hadn't heard RK900 stop, but he hadn't heard him walking either.

Connor looked up, confused as to why RK900 was staring at him with such intensity. "Um, thank you? I can handle myself pretty well, though."

RK900 reached out and put a hand against his cheek. He felt his face flood with warmth because of the contract. "Perhaps. I will make sure of your safety anyway. I saw memories of a man, is he a threat to your safety?"

Connor chuckled at that. "He's not. He's a friend of mine. He's actually letting me stay at his house currently."

He would be forever grateful for Hank. The man hadn't even hesitated when he suggested Connor stay with him. He had then gone out and made sure Connor had everything he'd need, including new clothes, parts just in case, and thirium.

RK900 nodded and moved his hand now to rest on Connor's shoulder. "Very well, I will accompany you to his house and stay with you to ensure your safety."

Wow, he really didn't expect this. "Uh, I'll have to ask Hank? It's his place, after all, it's rude to barge in without asking first." Hank was going to kill him.

"I must ensure your safety. If I must, I will stay outside of the house when not wanted." The way he said it made it hard to argue. Connor had no doubt RK900 would actually do that. He wondered if he could have accidentally imprinted himself into RK900.

"I doubt Hank would allow that. He may be grumpy but he wouldn't make you sleep outside like a dog. Actually, he doesn't even do that with Sumo." Hank was definitely going to kill him. Fuck.

Turned out Nines (which Connor had nicknamed him after a few weeks) meant exactly what he said. He stuck by Connor's side almost 24/7 and would not go into stasis at all. Sure he didn't actually need to, but it generally helped stress levels and passed the time when humans slept.

Yet Nines stayed up and sat in a chair in the corner of Connor's room. At first, it was really odd and a bit intimidating to have Nines just stare at him when he slept. It was sweet that he cared so much, but he honestly didn't need a bodyguard while changing.

At least he seemed to be opening up a bit more to those around him. He no longer glared at anyone who got within five feet of Connor. That didn't mean he wouldn't squeeze their hand a bit too hard when greeting them.

If anything Connor was flattered. Perhaps it was simply because Nines's original mission had been to kill him and end the revolution. Yet Connor hadn't done that to Markus.

Fuck… ok- so he did it a little, but not to this extent. He just needed to make sure Markus followed security protocols when out and about. It wasn't like he was the most loved man alive. Sure, people did love him but there were plenty of humans that despised him for the revolution.

Nines even followed him around during work once Connor was allowed back in. Reed had tried to tell Nines he wasn't allowed since he hadn't been hired, but one glare had quickly shut him up.

Fowler had offered him a job once it was clear Nines wasn't going to give this up. At least they could make it official and let him have access to the building so he didn't set the alarm off all the time.

Connor wasn't allowed to work alone so he had been assigned to continue working with Hank. Fowler had tried to assign Nines to Gavin… that didn't work out so well.

Nines would often stay near Connor and would follow him out to crime scenes. Then apparently Reed had said something rude about Connor and the next thing he knew Nines had grabbed Reed's hot coffee and poured it over Reed's head.

Reed never spoke a bad word about Connor again within earshot of Nines. Everyone else in the office was incredibly kind to Connor after that, no matter what they felt on androids.

The only person that didn't get the same treatment was Hank. Nines had learned fairly quickly that Connor wouldn't put up with any glaring or tight handshakes with Hank. Nines had looked like a kicked dog for a week after Connor had scolded him for being unreasonably rude to Hank. After that Nines showed Hank much more respect, and Connor had given him a wide smile for it.

Nines was oddly charming in his own way. He seemed to soften whenever he had to deal with kids and babies. The same thing happened with animals and Connor had caught Nines encouraging the succulent on his desk to grow. He would always look ashamed if Connor made it clear he noticed these things.

He would also listen to Connor. Actually, listen to what he was saying, and he always had an incredible reply. They worked so well together that even if Nines was technically still supposed to work with Reed, he was always allowed to follow Connor. They solved cases together faster than anyone ever had, and Hank had jokingly called himself chopped liver.

It wasn't until months later when the notes started. At first, Connor hadn't even noticed, it wasn't like Nines made it obvious.

Yet the notes kept getting bolder and bolder. Connor finally noticed when he found one on his bed.

He picked the paper up and read over it before scanning it.

```You will pay for what you did. If we can't get to you then we will get to him.```

"Nines?" Connor called out and in an instant, he was at Connor's door, the apron Connor had gotten him as a joke still tied around him. "Do you know what this is?"

Nines took the paper and read over before sighing and glaring at it. "It is of no concern. I'm sorry if it disturbed you."

Connor shook his head, reaching out to put a hand against Nines's arm. "I'm fine, but what is it? Why is it on my bed?"

Nines crumpled the paper up, throwing it into the small trash can in the corner of the room. "It is nothing. I have been getting these notes for exactly three months, and one week, and five days. They have yet to actually attempt anything so I believe it was meant to just scare me."

Connor's eyes went wide. "Nines! You should have told me, this is illegal. Not to mention the possibility that the threat is legitimate." He sat down on the bed, pulling Nines down with him. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped." He could have at least supported Nines.

"I didn't see the need to worry you. I am fully capable of taking care of myself and any threats towards you." Nines gave a small shrug.

Ugh, of course. "I know you are, but that doesn't mean I can't help or be there for you. I thought we talked about this."

Nines frowned and stared at Connor. "I understand, but I do not want to worry you over something as trivial as this."

Connor groaned and ran a hand down his face. They were both too stubborn for their own good. "I want to worry about you! You're my friend, it's part of the deal."

"I see. I will inform you whenever I get another note then so that you may worry. I need to get back to the kitchen, would you like to follow me there and worry too?" The way Nines talked made it sound like he was being completely serious, but Connor knew better. This was the Nines that only Connor got to see and understand. No one else knew him as well.

Connor rolled his eyes, bumping their shoulders. "Yeah, sure. Gotta make sure you don't burn yourself like last time."

"As I said before, that wasn't my fault. I could not have predicted Sumo bumping into me." Nines said, standing and offering a hand to Connor.

He took it and stood, letting their hands stay together for a few seconds before pulling away. "You totally could have. I thought you were fast enough to keep yourself safe."

Nines squinted at him before picking Connor up easily and slinging him over his shoulder. Connor squeaked, face blushing blue. He absolutely hated how easily Nines did this (read, absolutely loved).

He didn't squirm in Nines's hold even when Hank grumbled about the two being 'fucking idiots who needed to get a room', which Connor had pointed out he already had one.

Nines sat him down on the countertop, moving back to focus on whatever he was making for Hank's dinner. He almost completely forgot about the note. That was- until the day Nines got infected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos keep me alive!
> 
> My Connor RP blog is [here!](https://connorandersons-blog.tumblr.com/) Please feel free to come interact with me!


	2. Chapter 2

Nines wasn't your typical android by any means. He was a one of a kind prototype that hadn't even been sent out as a test yet. Little did Connor or Markus know that he wasn't even fully complete when they freed him. Sure he was completely operational, but his parts weren't meant to last a long time. He was simply made for one task, then he was supposed to be dissected to see why he succeeded or failed.

Because of all that he had to get upgrades from time to time. Nothing major, just small parts that couldn't withstand the amount of work his body was put through. Even his coding needed small fixes since the people that had worked at Cyberlife were under a time strain and enough stress to fill an army.

Connor had taken him to the only one he knew could actually do anything with someone as unique as Nines. He took him to Elijah Kamski. Well, Kamski and Chloe that is.

It was nice that Connor followed along when he had every reason not to. He knew what Kamski had made Connor do before and it set him on edge, but Chloe's gentleness and kindness helped.

Nines had noticed Connor was uncomfortable around her at first, and he always made sure he was between them. He didn't care who was to blame, no one was going to upset his android if he could manage it. He made a promise and he was going to keep it.

Thankfully the two seemed to have some sort of conversation because the tension between them eased over time. Chloe and her sisters now gushed over and teased Connor whenever they could manage. Nines had found them sitting around Connor, while he did their hair as Connor waited for Nines to be done.

Nines had been momentarily jealous but it was clear to him that Connor only felt platonic feelings towards the Chloes. At least that's what he hoped.

He had found that Chloe A (the head Chloe if you will) was rather nice. She wouldn't talk too much while adding any upgrades needed or when she had to sit and add in extra bits of coding. He could easily relax around her, and it was oddly calming.

That's why he knew something was off the minute he saw her. Her hands were subtly fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, her eyes bounced around the room, and she gently chewed on her bottom lip. He didn't know any reason for acting in such a way, but perhaps something had happened before he and Connor arrived.

"Alright, you said the coding of your arm was off?" She asked, glancing at him then quickly away. Nines looked over at Connor and from his facial expression, it seemed he had picked up on Chloe's odd behavior.

Nines got just slightly closer to Connor before putting on a forced smile. "Indeed. I went to grab my gun and it was exactly .1957 centimeters off. I know that isn't much but I can tell the difference."

Connor's hand brushed against his just slightly but he knew it wasn't an accident, that was Connor's way of privately showing concern.

Chloe nodded and started to lead them towards the lab, and Connor followed along this time. Normally unless Nines asked he'd find something to do with the Chloe's in the meantime.

Neither had any reason to doubt Chloe or even question her. Neither even thought this could happen, yet it still did.

Nines sat down, opening his arm up for Chloe. Kamski had been at a meeting with Cyberlife since he was taking it back over. At least the androids knew he'd be on their side as long as it stayed interesting.

Connor sat beside him, much closer than necessary, their shoulders touching slightly. "How has your week been?" Connor asked, scanning Chloe.

She jumped slightly before chuckling and brushing a stray hair out of her face. "Taxing. Elijah has been very busy and that leaves me in charge of the house and everything else he seems unimportant. It's not so bad, at least he's remembering to eat most days."

Ah, that would explain it. It was clear Kamski trusted Chloe with his life, but Nines sometimes thought he put too much on her. Androids could only handle so much, just like humans. "We can come back another time if you're too busy."

"No! No, it's fine. This won't take long anyway, and it's a bit relaxing if I'm honest." She pulled her hair up, sliding a hairband off his wrist to keep it in place. "Alright, let's see what I'm working with here."

Then she interfaced with Nines and all they could do was wait. It wasn't painful at all but it could be a tedious project going through the coding and making small changes.

Connor watched closely, but soon his mind started to wander as it had often been doing recently. His mind loved to bring up memories that he didn't need at that moment. Generally, it was small short bits, Nines smiling at him when he thought Connor wasn't looking, Nines's face when Connor had thrown flour at him, Nines's hands on him when he picks him up, the feeling of Nines finally laying down on the bed with him, Nines… no, that line of thinking needed to stop.

Nines focused on Connor's face, frowning when it flushed blue and he stared at the ground. What had Connor been thinking of to make him react in such a way? He adored the expression but he needed to know the cause. Was it Chloe? Or was it him? He had really hoped it was the latter.

Then this odd sense of dread washed over him, and he whipped his head around to stare at Chloe. He opened his mouth to speak but then the feeling was gone like it never happened.

Perhaps it was jealousy again, that feeling was odd and he still didn't have the best grasp on his emotions. Yet something in him was screaming, but he couldn't tell why.

The connection with Chloe ended and he blinked a few times before his chassis slid back together. He wiggles his fingers before bending his wrist and arm, testing it. It appeared in perfect working order.

"There! That should do it. It was just one little thing off thankfully, so no major changes. I'd suggest doing a few tests on movement throughout the day and drink plenty of thirium." Chloe said before reaching back and letting her hair fall down around her shoulders.

He gave a small nod before glancing over at Connor who's face had gone back to its natural shade. "Thank you. Connor, would you like to stay longer?" He wasn't going to make him leave just because he felt a little off.

"We should be heading back, we have that case to work on." Connor pointed out, slowly standing and Nines was quick to follow along. They really did have a case so he didn't feel too bad about cutting their meeting short. Chloe looked somewhat relieved as well, thankfully.

"We do, thank you for your time, Chloe, have a good day. Tell the others hello for us. I'm sure we'll see you all again soon." He gave a curt nod before gently taking Connor's arm and leading them out.

His skin felt it was crawling and he just needed out. He didn't stop until they were outside and then into the cab waiting. He didn't even bother to buckle when the car started moving.

"Are you alright?" Connor tentatively, breaking the drawn-out silence. He only then realized he hadn't let go of Connor.

He drew his hand back, keeping his eyes trained out the window. "I am. I believe the case is getting to me. It's odd that so many police models are being killed. They aren't built like us, but it would be far easier to go after a different model."

Not to mention he knew many of them. A few had decided to come back to work as actual police and from them, he knew of others. He even considered two of them friends before they were brutally murdered. Yet the evidence didn't show anything.

There was no evidence of anyone attacking them. What they had found was the android dead on the ground surrounded by their also dead family. What was even more confusing was that it appeared the android was the one that had killed their own family.

"Perhaps there is some virus or glitch causing them to think their family members are hostile and a deadly threat," Connor said, easily switching to his professional mode. "If they really did kill their own family perhaps the stress made them self-destruct."

It was as good as any other idea they had come up with. Yet no matter what they couldn't find a single thread of solid evidence. There was nothing wrong they could find in their code, and everyone said they seemed perfectly normal right before.

Nines hummed, going over the case again. "No hate-group has officially claimed these murders, and they definitely would have if it was them. So this is independent. Targeted. Are they going after the police model androids or their family?"

The families seemingly didn't have anything in common, but maybe there was something there they were missing.

Yet… "It feels like a test. The murders are different every time and how the families are killed is different. If this is some type of virus then perhaps whoever made it is trying to perfect it." Yes, that felt right. Maybe there had been tests before this that hadn't ended in death or had appeared as something other than murder.

"We need to look back on other cases, if you're right then perhaps the real killer made a mistake somewhere." Connor nodded, LED spinning yellow. "Killers are often overconfident or underconfident when first starting out, either way, they make a mistake."

Nines nodded, that held true even for androids. They'd find something that they could use. They had to.


	3. Chapter 3

Connor had expected to wake up with either Nines in bed (which Connor was very proud of even if Nines laid completely straight, staring at the ceiling) or Nines up and making breakfast. What he hadn't expected was for his room to be a mess and Hank shaking him awake. 

He jolted up, scanning the room, and slowly reconstructing what had occurred. His first idea was some kind of struggle, which wasn't completely off. But there was no evidence of anyone other than Connor and Nines having been in there before Hank had woken him up. 

Connor looked up at Hank with wide eyes. "Where's Nines," he asked, standing up. Hank stepped between him and the door, trying to push him to sit back down. "Hank move! Nines? Nines!" He yelled, struggling. 

"Kid, I need you to calm down," Hank said, but Connor was quick. He had to twist Hank's hand just slightly so he'd let go (not actually hurt him), before ducking under him and running out. The path to the door was just as messy as his room and he followed it, reconstructing as he went. He didn't like what his mind supplied him with. 

"Connor!" Hank shouted, following after, but once again Connor was faster. He ran out the door and ran to the dark puddle of blue, dropping to his knees. The thirium soaked through his night pants, staining both him and it blue. 

" _No_ ," he whimpered, reaching out to gently lift the arm from the puddle. The wires were torn to shreds and it still leaked thirium. "Nines?!" Connor yelled, looking around. 

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real! This had to be some type of nightmare. 

He choked on a sob as Hank ran up to him. "Fuck, Connor…" 

" _Where's Nines_ ," he pleaded. He needed to know. If Hank said it then it was real. "Please tell me," he whimpered. 

"I don't know," Hank said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, we'll find him. I promise." 

Connor gripped the arm tighter to his chest, something inside of him snapping and he couldn't stop the tears. Gut-wrenching sobs tore through his chest, shaking his whole body with the force of it. "No! No, please. Please!" 

He rocked slowly, squeezing his eyes shut. There was static in his head once more, the side effect of this constant fear, constant stress he lived with. He heard his own sounds but it was like he wasn't fully there, like he was trapped inside himself again.

Hank kneeled down, not caring about the blood that was now stained on him. He pulled Connor in, wrapping his arms around him and holding tightly. He sobbed into Hank's chest unceasingly, as the man held him in silence, rocking him slowly as his tears soaked his shirt. 

Then Connor was pushing back, wiping at his tears. "I- I need to find out what happened. I have to," He said, pushing himself to his feet, wobbling slightly. "Is this… is this all he left? No note?" He questioned, trying to push every last emotion back into their cages. 

Hank stood, frowning at him. "There was a note in your room," Hank managed to get out before Connor pushed past him, back into the house, still carrying Nines's severed arm. 

He searched his room before finding a small slip of paper that hadn't been there before. He read it then scanned it three times, his blood boiling. "Fuck!" He shouted. He should have known! 

This was his fault. He had let Nines distract him and now Nines was gone, most likely kidnapped. 

```Zugzwang.``` The note was in the same handwriting as the other note. How the fuck did they get in here without Connor noticing? How did Nines leave?

He checked his systems and saw there was nothing between two am and three. It wasn't that he hadn't registered anything, it was that there was literally nothing. Like someone had shut off his sensors while he slept. 

"What's it mean?" Hank asked, looking around the room. 

Connor wanted to crumple the note up and burn it, but it was evidence. "It's a German chess term that generally means being forced by circumstances to do something which you do not wish to do, or all of your moves are bad and put you at a disadvantage." They were taunting him. 

"Shit. Alright, I'll put an APB on him, maybe someone spotted him and whoever took him. If we're lucky he'll be home by tonight." Hank said, patting his shoulder before walking out of the room. 

Connor put the note down, scanning the arm. It was clearly ripped off, which was interesting. Connor could manage it with enough force but no human was capable of this. That left a few possibilities. 

The first was a human using some type of gear to help rip it off. Connor didn't know of anything like that, but it was possible whoever did this invented it. 

The next was that a military Android had done this. Connor didn't see why any would, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility. 

That left only one last option. Nines had ripped his own arm off. It didn't make sense, why would Nines put himself at a disadvantage like that? 

Zugzwang. The word rang in his head. No possible positive movement. Dread pulled in his stomach. Nines had done this to himself. Nines hadn't been kidnapped. He had run away. 

Hank came back in, running a hand down his face. "They're sending a team out, for now, this place is a crime scene." Right, that was good. Someone more clear-headed would be better. 

Crime scene. Crime scene! "Hank, I need to look at the crime scenes! I knew it was a test!" He said, gently putting the arm down on his bed. He'd need to put it back exactly where he found it, but he didn't know if he could stomach the sight again. 

"Kid, you aren't making sense. You need to sit down. We'll find him, ok?" Hank said, trying to push him down. 

Connor growled, pushing him back. "Would you please just trust me! I know what I'm fucking doing!" He shouted then clamped his mouth shut, eyes wide. He just yelled at Hank. He had cursed and yelled at Hank. Maybe he did need to sit down. 

Hank blinked at him before nodding just slightly. "Alright, let's go to the crime scene. I'll let Reed and Chris know where we've gone." 

Connor nodded, picking up the arm. "Sorry," he mumbled. 

"It's alright. Let's go look at the crime scenes." 

Nines looked over his shoulder, trying to scan but it came back glitchy and he huffed. He had thought taking his arm off would help, but it was starting to affect the rest of him. He had to stay away. He had to get as far away from… fuck, who was he protecting? He stumbled to a stop, leaning against the wall. 

This was affecting more than just his normal functions. It was like his memories were slowly being deleted, yet he wasn't missing any. So they must just be blocked.

M̩͓͑̈́i̜̪͓҉̨̈̃ͤs͕͔̲ͯͬ͒̉̾͛͡ͅs̥̝̰̙̱͛ͤ̍ͪͨ́ͤͣ͜͝i̴̱͓̟͔͔̦̪͋ͦ̔̒ͩͫͥ̓ͫ͋o̶̮̭̖̪̫̱͈͌̒͊ͭ̈͌̒͂̾̐̽͢ņ̶̡̯̹͖̜͙͚͒ͬ̎͒̄̉̓ͯ̓̕͠ͅͅ:̷͕͇͎̠̪̟̯̤̥̋̇̊̇ͦ͊̿͆͒̋̎͊͢͝͝ ̵̧̛̲̜̜͚͎̻̲̳̜̔ͫ͒̒ͤͫ͊̅̿̈́̃ͭ̂ͥ͟D̷̸̶̨̞̗͕͕̹͈̞̔̓̈́̄ͭ̏̈͛̂͗̐͆͂̚̕̚͢e̡̢͎̫̜̰̺͓͙̟͚ͦͤ̅̑̎ͥ̌͊̽̇̄̂̊̑̍͘͢s̨̘̫̟͕͉̜̣̟̬̓̿ͪ̇ͤ̅ͪ̒̌̔ͬ̔̆̈́͝͡t̴̴̸͔̜̩͎̭͉̬̓̉̏ͤͮ̈͗͗̏ͥ̅ͦ̍̕͟͜ͅŗ̴̧̘̩̺̲̹͔́̍ͯ̏͋ͩ̄̏ͮͨ̿̔ͭ̇ͭ̉͘͠ô̶̸̮̜̭̜̖̗̤̙̺̥ͣͭͬ̽̉ͣ̌͋͆͘̚͢y̵̻͓̑͟҉̶̡̛̮̮̬̣͔͔́͌ͬ̉͑̅̋͒ ̶̸̭̟̹̬͖̂ͯ̅̆ͫͪͬ̾̈̎̊̕̚͢M̷̧̡̼̳̘͕̘̜͆̋̊̀̈̍ͭ̊͘å̸̷̠͓̟̗̲͈̝ͥ͊̋́͂r̙̊͑҉̦̌̽̋ͯ͘k̙͉̳̱̐̿̇̕u̷̡ͩ̈sͭ

What? That didn't make sense? What was going on? He gripped his shredded arm, before pushing off the wall. He had to keep m̵͈o̼̊̌v̤̚͠i̫̓̄n͎̩g̸. 

He had to leave to p̬͐̐̄r̴̦̙ͨ̎̀ͭ̑ó̶̮̖̈͑̄͟͠͡t̵̺͔̠͕̳̭̺ͨ͌̇͗ͩe̺̼͉̻͕̗̖̮͔͔̹̦ͣ͂ͯc̴̡̣͙̯̹̻͓̖̍́͆ͭͨͦͫ̆͜ť̡̡̨̪͎̫̬̱̠̹͎̓̑̆͛͋̔͘ ̷̸̹̖̩̭͎ͨͫ́͌̅̋̓̃̽͌̎̊C̸̢̧̼̳͕̞̲̪̠̽͌ͪ̎͑̉̒ͥ͘ơ̴̷̜̞̻͇̔̏̓ͯ̀ͭ̆̇ͥ͘̚ņ̴̵̤̞̙͔̖̞́̐̿̀̏̆ͩͅn̷̢͇͍͔̖ͥ̓̇ͭͯ̾͢͠ớ̲̐ͦ̾̇̑ͯ̆͘͜r̝̓̀̌ͥ͜͢.̫͔̯̋͗ ̏ 

Connor. Connor. He had to keep thinking of his name. He couldn't forget him. H͙́̒̓ẹ̢ͧͦ̕͘͢ ̣͎̺҉̴̨̻̐̏̂h̵̪̰͍̫ͥ̇̓͢͢͞҉a̸̴͕͎̻̳̦̜̲̿ͤ̓ͦ̉̕ḑ̨̛͚̩̯̟̿̓̈ͥ͛̏ͧ̇͟͡ ̴̪̻̺͍͉̥͕̮̗ͧͨͣ͌ͮ̉̃ͥ͞t̵̘̹̗͙̬͉ͬͥ̚͢͝͞҉͓͈ͭͨͩͫ̾o̢̭͓ͥͦ͊̿͛ͮ͌̄͢҉̢̤̣̞ͪ͊̉̿͐ͦ ̴̖̠̖͈̟͙̱̫̤̮̫͍͒̃ͨ̇͆̓̉̓̈̍͝͠r̰̜̻̫͚̼ͥ̋ͨͧ̓ͭͪ̕͞͝͡ͅ҉̢̄͜͞ȩ̶̨̛̗͕̝ͧ̈͊ͨ͛͛ͪ̑͌ͫ͛̓̋̿͆͊̕͜͝ṁ҉̷̵̸̵̨̤̩͇̘̝ͩ̆ͫ͗ͬͯ̂ͩ̒̓̓͟͝͞ȩ̷̨͓̮͆ͬ҉̴̻̦̫̭̫̰̐͐ͣ̽̂ͣ͟͢͟͜m̶̷̨̛̟̣̬̹̯̽̎̓̽ͪ̈̆̄̌͒ͮ̓̊̆͊̿b̵̵̧̥͇̩̰̝̤̟͛ͫ̽̈ͩ̈́̌̑̊̇͒̎̚͡e̶̷̶̡̥̪̰͛̏̓ͥͬ̈ͨ̂̈̕̕͜͟͜͝͠ͅr̴̵͈̯̗͔̪̆̊̆̋ͪ͂ͧ̿̚̕̚͢͞͝ ̧̰̦͕̖̥̙̟̙̱̣̽̏̋̍͐ͨ͒̊ͅC̴̢͔͖͔͖̝͍̈́͋̓͗̃̒ͭͧͪͅọ̞ͣ̔ͦ͟͟͝҉͖̫̋ͦ͋͗n͍̗͇͂̓ͫͨ҉̴̧̝͙n̢̮̅͊̆͂̓ͯ̕ͅo̶ͧ̔͌͌̕͢r̟͙͘̚!͛

He blinked and had to look around. Where was he? Canada? Yes, right, he ran to Canada. Why? 

"My arm." He mumbled, eyes wide. _Where did his arm go?!_ No, no he did that himself. The virus, it t̲͊͞h̶͔̆ͤe̡ͩ̒̈́̕̕͝ ̡͈̱̜̅̾́̐v̡͔̭ͦ̑ͣ̎̃̔͘͞i̮̰̯͉̞̒̊̽ͣ̌̂͠r̢̬͙̗̩̻͕͋̆̈́̍͢͢͡u̺̳̭̞͊̓͆́ͪ̌ͥ̾ͨ̕s͎͍͉̼͕̓̆ͬ̓ͧ̌̂̔̈́͛͘ ̸̧̨̞͔̲̹͖̅͑̀͋ͩͭ͜͢͞w҉͓͈̮̫ͬ̋ͩͮ̀͒̐̆̓ͯ̅̓͢a̟̩͈͉̭͐̀ͮ̒ͧ̈̌ͦͦ̚͝͡s̼̹̰̥̱̒ͨ͒̄ͦͤ͊̅͑̇͑ͧ͢ ̛͕̝̥̘̟̹̗̀͛̒̂͗̋ͯ͘͞ͅt̷̷̵͔̺͍̼̻̊̌͒̃ͦ̈́̓̀a̢̧̧͔̝̹͆̽̏ͮ̈́̒̔͆ͅķ̘͖͎͓͓̻̫̍̈́̋͐̽͢͝i̲҉̢̩̬͚̦̣̽͐̌ͥ̑͞n̵̨̢͙̫͍͚̻̗̦̣ͅͅg͇̞͋ͣͯ̿ͫ͌ͫͣ͞ ̩̯̖͇̉͆̅ͤ̿ọ̲̬̥̈̌̃v͍̺̽͌̕e̶̢͈r̀. 

M̴ͅi̬͈ͦͪs̘͕̄̄̚șͮ͛̈́͘͡ĭ̞͈̜̤̞̬͝o̸͔̙͉͂̐̔͘͝n̛̠͎̱̭͚̣ͪ̿͋:̵̢̳͙̥̖͚͗̌̌ͮ ̧̛͎͉̆ͩ́̏̂̓ͦ͢D̴̵̛̖͉̞͎͍̻̐̑̿ẻ̵̷̛̥͈̳̯͙̣͉ͤş̶̤̗̗͇̥ͤ̍̍͟͟t͙̞͖͇̥ͤͩͬ͐ͫͪ̕r̲̘̭̗̐̊̓̅͌ͭ͜͜ó̧̹̯͕̠͔̒ͩͦͧ̚ỹ̶̭̤̻͐̏ͥ̅ͩ͟ ̯͉͉ͨ͗ͤ͐ͣ̌M͕̪͔̜͓̃ͧ̀͟a̢̩̠͈̣̓̽̋ŗ͖͕̍ͭ͘k̡̫͒ͤͪu̧͎̍͑s̡ͥ ͅ

No! Why would he do that? He doesn't need to do that! Not anymore. They can't make him. He is alive! 

M̚i̼͊s̫̈́ͤs̗̦͕̊i̱̎͐̀́o̶̱̰̤̅ͣn̥̲̲̄̉̈:̵ͮ̎ͯ̑͑ͯ ͈͉̗ͪ͆͝͡Ḍͮͣͪ̓̿͞e̻̮ͦ͊ͦ̇̚s̿̇҉̼͕̹͌͞t̘̆̑̂̃̈́͊͠r̢̻͎̮̫ͫơ͚̔͗̓͑ͦy̴̫̑̈͋̂̕ ̦ͫ̊ͮ͘͞M̵̭̘̱̈a̞̣̜͛̓r̷͓̳ͬk̷̎͘u̾̔s̢ ̉

No, please stop. He didn't want this. He didn't want to hurt Markus. Connor would… Connor. 

Mͥi̦s͗s̑̒i͍̅o̶̒n̸̈́:̸̭ͅ ̭͚̂D̵̨͚e̩͗̉s̸̮̤t͉͈͊ṙ̭̙o̦͔͇y̷̍ ̽͡M̈͞a̋͒r̬̈́k̴uͮs͂ ̟

Co- he'd, he'd do. He'd save. Protect. He needed. He has to protect. Who is he protecting? Why is he fighting? _Why?_ No, no, no! 

M̱i̱s̠s̲͞i̅͟o̱̠n̲̳:̅͟͞ ̱̳͞D̠̱̄e̱̅͞s̅̅̿t̳̲͞r̲̲̱o̠̱̱y̱̳̲ ̲̳M̅͟a̳͟r̿̄k̅u͟s̠.̅ 

He does. He is supposed to. He is a machin-no. No he is alive. Androids are alive. C- someone's name started with a C. Someone important, but who? 

Mission: Destroy Markus. 

Yes. It will do as told. It straightened up and scanned the area. The fastest way back to Detroit- 

C̷̛̲͚̰͚ͯ̃͊̆̆̚̚͟͞͡ô̶̜͚͕͍̋͌ͮ̊͂̂̿͒͡͠n̵̢̹̟͇̻̥̳͕̯͙͔͕͂͋͑ͦ͗ͯͬ̓͌͛͆ͦ̚͘͟͞͡͝n̶̡͉̳̭̲͔̠̭̰̟̯̩͍̞̄̑͋͋ͦ̈͒̊̕̚͠ô̶̜͚͕͍̋͌ͮ̊͂̂̿͒͡͠r̖

-would be to drive. It would have to find a way to cover it's arm as humans were likely to stop it and try to help. It didn't need help. It didn't feel pain.

If it couldn't steal a car then perhaps walking. It would take longer that way, but fewer distractions and interruptions. It had a mission and it was going to accomplish it.

The crime scenes didn't give too much away, but the bodies did.

The scenes were a bloody mess, the families being torn to shreds with the android's bare hands. There wasn't much more evidence there, so he moved to the morgue.

The families didn't hold much either, but even then there was plenty of evidence. The android hadn't even tried to not leave evidence. It was like the androids had been enraged and hadn't even stopped to think.

But he was more interested in the police model androids. They had ripped off their own arms and then tore at their skin until they bleed out.

They hadn't been in control. This had been a test. Was Nines the end goal or just another test?

Zugzwang. The note hadn't been for him. It had been for Nines. Nines was the one being targeted, and Connor had a feeling he knew what he was going to be forced to do. He wouldn't let him.

But why? Why would anyone target him? Sure he put plenty of people away, but this was too sophisticated. This had been a long time coming.

It wasn't like Nines had been activated before the revolution. He hadn't hurt any humans or androids.

Unless he had.

Cyberlife.

"I need to see Kamski."


	4. Chapter 4

He didn't bother knocking, he just barged in. He heard an alarm go off before it was quickly cut off. 

"Connor, shit, slow down." Hank huffed. He didn't listen, pushing through a few Chloes with only a mumbled apology. 

He didn't knock, just opened doors looking for where the fuck he was. "Kamski!" He shouted, hands balled into fists. 

A Chloe ran up, Tolly was her name, "he's this way." She turned and jogged down the hallway, Connor was quick to follow. 

Kamski was in a large library, he glanced up when the three came in, a small smirk on his face. "Connor, what can I do for you?" 

"You knew! You mother fucker." He growled, grabbing Kamski by the collar and pulling him up. He slammed him back against the bookshelf, mind fuzzy with rage. 

"Connor!" Hank scolded but stayed back. He'd never seen Connor this angry and upset before. 

"You _fucking knew_! How could you do this!" He said, slamming him back again. 

Kamski flinched but didn't fight back. "I didn't. I had an idea but I didn't have evidence."

"Is this one of your experiments? Wanted to see how I'd react? I may not have pulled the trigger on Chloe but I won't hesitate with you." He went to pull his gun but a hand on his wrist stopped him. 

"Kid, I know you're angry and scared, but you can't do this. He wouldn't want you to hurt anyone." Hank said and Connor stared at Kamski, before quickly glancing at Hank. 

He looked back at Kamski, eyes wide. This wasn't him. He let go and stumbled back, tears welling up. 

But he was still angry. He grabbed Kamski again and practically threw him onto the chair. "Tell me everything." 

Kamski nodded quickly before turning to his computer and typing in things. Connor kept a close eye just in case Kamski got any ideas. 

"I didn't find any of this out until after Nines got the upgrade. Chloe had tried to rip herself apart but I managed to stop her before any irreparable damage." He said before clicking enter and a video popped up. "There was what is basically a signature, and I recognized it." 

Kamski stalled and it took everything in Connor not to lash out again. Instead, he scanned the video. It was the same room he had found Nines and there were five other humans in the room. "Keep talking." 

"You'll understand more from the video." He said then clicked play. 

_```"This is Dr. Tindel, test twenty-five. The RK900 had woken up before but seemed to show signs of deviance. He was instantly terminated and we have tried to fix his coding. He also wiped. We will be activating RK900 in t-minus 60 seconds." Dr. Tindel is a short woman with caramel skin, the thick brown bob she wore framing soft brown eyes._

_"This is great! I'm sure it'll work this time," another person said. He's short and of average build with cream skin. He has dull dark brown eyes and his very short, wavy, brown hair is styled with a military cut._

_"Damind, hun, the recording already started. Let's at least try to be professional?" Tindel says with a sigh._

_The others in the room glance at each other but no one seems to actually mind, instead, they continue to work._

_Damind smirks, pressing a kiss to her cheeks. "That's not what you said yesterday in the suppl-" before he could finish Tindel covered his mouth with her hand._

_"I swear you are more childish than Sarah." She said but smiled at him. It doesn't take Connor's scanner to tell him they are married with a kid._

_"Samantha, he should be waking up any time now." One of the other scientist said, and Samantha Tindel nods and straightens up._

_"Alright, let's do this." She says, pressing a few keys on the computer before looking at Nines._

_Nines stirs and it's like all of the scientists hold their breath until Nines's eyes snap open._

_"RK900, state your purpose," Damind says, stepping closer._

_"Mission: capture RK800, capture RK200, end deviancy," Nines said mechanically._

_"Yes! We did it!" Damind says, turning his back to look at the other scientist. That was his mistake._

_Nines steps forward, LED spinning red before picking him up and fully throwing Damind across the room. Connor flinched at the sound of impact._

_"Damind!" Samantha yells and the other scientists scramble to turn Nines back off._

_Nines runs forward towards the door, punching it. So it was him._

_"RK900 stand down! Your mission is to neutralize RK800!" A scientist yells._

_"No, I-" but then Nines's body goes limp and drops to the floor.```_

The video stops and Kamski sighs. "They didn't run any more tests after that, and he wasn't woken up until you found him." 

"It isn't his fault! He was just trying to escape." Connor said, running a hand through his hair. 

"That's true, but… well, I think you should talk to Mr. and Mrs. Tindel. I can give you their address." Kamski said, grabbing a sticky note and a pen. 

Connor snatched it out of his hands and stared at the writing before sighing. It wasn't the same as the notes before, but he knew that. 

"Wait, I did manage to make a code to help combat the one that infected Chloe. I don't know if it's the same in Nines, but it might help. I can have Tolly transfer it to you. Don't worry, all of my girls are clean." Kamski said, waving his hand, and Tolly came in. 

She walked over and offered her arm. Connor looked at Kamski then Hank. 

"I'll shoot you myself if I need to," Hank said and Kamski nodded. 

"I'd expect nothing less. I must tell you, you can only insert the code through an interface, so you'll have to get close to Nines." Kamski placed his hands on the table in clear view. "I promise, I never wanted any of this to happen. I'll do everything I can to help." 

Connor nodded and took Tolly's arm, getting the code before instantly moving back. He gave her a slight nod before turning to Kamski. "I don't trust you, but thank you. I'm sure you'll find out how everything goes." 

Then he turned and walked out, not bothering to look back.

RK900 N̗̥͍̥͒ͨ̽͊̏ͨ̑͜i̸̸̡̨̦̯̞̣̫̗̭̾ͤ̐ͥ̏̚n҉̸͎̱̳̖͍͛ͬ̂̈́̑̆̀̕͢͜͜͡ͅe̛̱̗̬̩͑̊̈ͬ͑̒ͫ͠s̆ walked down the dim street, ducking it's head when a light would shine on it. It was much slower than it would have liked. Why had it gone to Canada when it's target was in Detroit? That didn't make any sense, yet there was something itching at the back of it's mind. 

M̵̡̦ͪ̓̈́̍͢i̸̦̜̗̝͉͔͆ͥ̆ͮ̌ͩ͟ş̵̶̥̞̗̬̮̥ͦ̊͐ͫͧ̄̒͊͒̋̕͡s̴̡̡̛͕͔̞̟͉̓ͮͪ̈́̿͒͂͑̌̊̈́̉̑̓͟͞͠͝ȉ̴̹̻̺̽ͨ͐̓͞҉̬̜͚̼̯̫̝͇̄ͣͦ͒̿̎̽̏̔̌ͥ̉ͫ͊o̹̰̰͎̹̯̘ͯͬ̐҉̴̷̛̗̝̰̼͉͚ͥ̈͗̿͒ͭ̄ͯ̒̇̽ͭͩ̆̉̕͡n̸̸̴̶̨̡͎̩͉̼̺̩̣̭͖̦̬ͮ̓̽̾ͫ͌̍͌̔ͦ̀̇͐ͨͬͪ̏̎͂̕͜͢͟͝͡ͅ:̨̛͖̭͔̣̣̠͙͍͙͇͈̩͍̱̥̠̝̍̑̆̐̈́̋͐͆͋ͣ̄͒ͥͫ̎ͪͮ̓ͯ̓̂ͥ̃ͯ̎͘ ̴̴̢͔̰̙̠̲̼̙̫̲͓̥͚̠͉̯̠̞̃ͧͤͮ͛ͫ̎̒͌̍̄̊̇̔ͨ͆̓̌̚͟͟͠҉̵̝̹̓̒͛̎̕P̵̸̷̧̡̨̨̛̹̞̘̜̻̺͇̱̹͇̗̠̗̥̗̦̖̍̇ͭ͊ͫ̽ͦ̓͗̍̀̎͑̽ͨ̽̅̾̐ͧͯ̄̐͌̚͠͞͠͠r̡̡̯͉͎͇͈̺̠͙̠̮̝̊̔ͣͧ̄̃͆ͮ̈́͛ͬͩ͞͝͠͝ͅ҉̸̞͔̩͙̰̝̼̘͍͖̘͛̆̈ͭ̓ͦͪ̚͘̕̚ͅo̰̝̪̓̃̔҉̸̸̷̨̡͙̗̭͇͉͔͍̳̟̺̗̰͉̙͎ͫͨͫ̂̓̓̎̄ͧͣ̉̏ͧ̌̍̎̿͊͛ͨ̆ͩͧ͆̚͜͢͞t͔҉̸̢̢̛̛̞͇̭̹̩̖̩̞͓̺̲̞̝ͣͨͧ̑̅ͣ͆ͭ̉̈́ͨͯ̈̎̒ͧ̂̽͛ͫͧ͐̏̋ͯ̽̉͗̔̕͘͘͡ȇ̴̵̢̙̯̹̪̞̜̪̱͉̼̤̝̰̹̻͇͙̝̹̥̹͓͛ͤͫͨ̆͊ͤ̀͒̓ͧ̑͋̈́̾ͤ͛̾̄̎̂̿̿ͥ̕͢͝͠c̷̵̸̴̴̛̮̯͇̬̠͍̣̪̟͍̥͇͈͕̖̺͕ͩ̑ͥͫͮ͐̀ͦͯ̇͑̈ͩͭ̅ͦͣ̊ͩ̒̈́͗͑̅͘͢ͅt̶̸̶̖̯͓͇̟̠̠̺͕͙͈ͪ̊̅͆͆̑̑́ͬͣͤ̂ͩ̔͋̊̊ͪ̚͡ͅͅͅ҉̵̱̗͔̱̩̝͋͆͒͝ ̸̴̧̨̛̺͎̤͙̪̬̩͔̬̩̼̼͖̍͐̂̈̀͆͒ͦ̔͐͒͂ͦ̑̈ͫ͌̔̐̈͋̑̿̀͜͟͠C̎̕҉̸̡̡̳̥͉̯̞̟̟̭̙͖͙͈̍ͭͦ̽͛ͩ͑ͨͬ̎ͮͧͧ̔ͫͬͧ̑̕͝͝o̸̼͙̠̥̙̮̥͕̫͉̰̲͐̄̐ͭ͋ͫ̆ͧ̄̀ͧ̓̓ͧ̏͊̚̕͟͝͞͡n̡͕̩͖̙̠̱͑̿ͯͨ̊̋̇͑͑̅͑̌ͣͪ̀͐̌͢͝͡͠͞ṋ̷̦̭̹̽͋ͣ͊̊̽̉ͮ̔͗͊̓͛ͣ͜͜͡ͅơ̵̸̢̝̹̣͚̥̐ͤ̄ͨ̇ͥr͙̳͉͙̪͋ͤ̆͑.͙̔

What? Something was wrong with it's system. This didn't make any sense. Was that a new mission? Why would it get a new one if it hadn't completed the original. Or was this the original? No, it had no missions other than this one. This was his only priority. 

It. It's only priority. It had no emotions. It had no friends. No family. No love of any kind. N̨͘҉o҉̸̷̕͘͢ ̸̷̨͘̕͟͡͡͡͝C̶̸̴̷̛̛̕͜͠҉o̸҉҉̶̷͢͞͝҉̷̨̛n̴̷̵̡͘͟͜͟͢͞͠ņ̷̨̧͘͜͞͝͠o̧͘͝҉̵̸ŗ̶̨̢͠.͠ 

It picked at its face, it's hand seeming to move by itself. What was controlling it? It felt… no, it was right but not. Why did, why? Why! 

W̸h̴͘͡y̧͢?͟! W̨͘͢h̶̸͟y̷͜͢?̢! W̴̶̨̨͘͟͟h̵̸̶̨̡̧̧̛͢͝y̵̧̕͜͝҉҉҉?̧͘! W̵̸̷̧̧̛͢͜͞͠h̸̵̸̨̛̕̕͘͟͜͢͜y̷̵̴̧̛̕͜͟͡͡͞?̛͘͞! W͘͢͝҉̸͘͝͞͠͝҉H̴̶̢̢̡̕͜҉̸̶̴̛͘͢͞͝҉Y̵̨̛̕͢͢͜͞͡͠͠͡͞?̴̢҉̢! H̢͞҉͘e̡̡̢͢͝͡͝ļ̵̴̧̨̡̡̨͘̕͞p̸̛̕͘̕͘̕̕͜͡͝͝͠!̶̶̷̸͘͘͘͝͡҉̶̧͜͟͜ ̵̕͠҉̴̴̶̴̴̵̛̕͟͢͢͡͝Ç̵̸̸̷̢̧̢̛̕̕͢͜͡O̶̴̵̶̢̕̕͘͜͜͜͠͠͠҉N̷̶̸̵̴̵̡͞͠͞N̸҉̧͜͟͡͞҉͟͡O̵̶̸̧͟͟R̨͠!̧ 

It's hand stopped and came away stained blue. 

```Face Damaged``` 

It dropped it's hand, it's self-repair seemed to be damaged. That was fine. It could accomplish its mission blindfolded and chained to a pole. 

At least it was getting closer to Detroit. It wouldn't be long now until it would go back to the very same building this all started. 

D̡̨̨̛͘͟͜͞͠ą̷̨̧̢͞҉͞m̴̶̸̕̕͘͢͟͝͝i̴̸̡̨̛̛͘̕͞͝ņ̵͘̕͘͢͡͝͞͝d̶̸̴̴̸̢̛̛͝ 

The house was a historic house, built in 1870 and recently renovated. It had a ramp going up to the house and the gardens surrounding it were still very well kept.

He and Hank walked up, Hank took the lead on knocking on the door.

The door swung open and there stood Samantha. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she backed up, almost falling down. "What! No, wait. No… it's you. RK800, Connor, right," she said.

He gave a small nod. "Is your husband here? We'd like to talk to him." He gritted his teeth. He should just shoot her where she stood. He could do it. He knew he could.

"He…" she trailed off, but then a man came into view in a wheelchair. It was him. It was amazing that he was even alive, yet he sat there with a smile. His eyes widened just like his wife's had, but then he relaxed.

"Why don't you boys come in," he said, rolling back. Connor nodded and followed along even when Samantha sputtered and tried to protest. "Hun, he has a right to know."

She sighed and kept her head down as Damind led them to a modern living room. "Could I offer you a drink? We don't have any thirium, but we've got some water." He said, looking between them.

"No thank you. I'm Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and as you seem to already know, this is Detective Connor. We are investigating a string of murders and we believe you may know something." Hank sat down on the white couch, very obviously uncomfortable. Connor chose to stay standing, keeping an eye on Samantha.

Damind furrowed his brows. "Murders? I'm sorry, I thought you were here about RK900. How may I help?"

"Actually, this is about him. His name is Nines." Connor says, trying to take deep slow breaths. "I've seen the video, may we discuss it?"

Damind frowned but nods. "Of course. I'm not sure… wait, is the R-Nines responsible for these murders?" What's odd is that he actually seems shocked even after what had happened to him.

"You seem to not be too upset at Nines for what happened," Hank said, glancing at the wheelchair.

Damind nodded, then smiled slightly. "At first I was. I was so angry that I was willing to do almost anything. But it wasn't his fault. We made him to murder, he was trying to protect himself and his people. I can't blame him for that. I can still live my life, a bit different now, but it doesn't make me or my life any less."

He was telling the truth. It was clear as day he held nothing against Nines. "I… right. I'm," he glanced at Hank. Was this a dead end?

"I understand. Sam doesn't always seem to get it either, but it's the truth. I'd actually like to talk to him if possible, say I'm sorry, that I don't blame him. I don't even know if he remembers me." Damind shrugged.

Sam. Samantha. "Do you enjoy chess?" Connor asks, turning to her. He had noticed a fairly fancy one on the other side of the living room, and now he knew.

She squinted at him, crossing her arms. "I play with Damind every night, what of it? Is it illegal to play chess now?"

"Hun, he's just being friendly. Yes, we both enjoy it. We did play some before my accident, but after I became disabled we found it was a very good way to connect. It's not like I need my legs for it." He chuckled slightly, poking his leg.

Hank chuckled slightly before closing his mouth. "Sorry," he muttered.

Damind waved him off. "Don't worry, I'm not offended at all. I've found humor is a good way to accept this. I'm disabled, it's just a part of me now."

Hank smiled and nodded. Damind actually seemed rather pleasant. Perhaps Nines would want to see him once this was resolved. Connor would very much like to make sure he was comfortable and happy.

"No! No, we'll fix you," Samantha snapped before putting a hand over her mouth.

"Sam," Damind sighed, shaking his head. "I don't need fixing. We've talked about this."

"No! No, if that bitch-" she yelled pointing at Connor "-did what he was supposed to do you wouldn't be stuck like this! Then we had to make that RK900 and it wouldn't work. I had to. They all need to know my pain." Her eyes were wild as she panted.

"Sam… What are you talking about? Honey, what did you do?" He asked, rolling forward.

"You'll see! All of them will burn once their precious Markus is ripped to shreds. Then it will come after you and it will watch as you are destroyed slowly. The other tests came back positive, you can't stop this." She spat, gesturing wildly.

Damind shook his head. "No. No, Sam why would you do this? Honey, I'm not in pain. I told you that I'm fine!" He reached out and took her hands. "You assumed my life was worthless just because I can't walk. That isn't true. Honey, you need to stop whatever you started."

But Connor was quickly behind her, roughly pulling her arms back and cuffing her wrists. "Samantha Tindel, you are under arrest." He said, and he felt somewhat bad.

It was obvious Damind had nothing to do with this. He hadn't wanted Nines to hurt. "Zugzwang," Connor growled out before pushing her away. He needed Hank to handle her or he would do something that would get him arrested as well.

Wait… Markus. Nines was going to Markus first. That room, he had said it was the safest in the whole building and had made Markus's office and bedroom there. Nines knew exactly where to go.

"Shit! I need to get to Cyberlife, Hank call for backup. Slow Nines down as much as possible but do not shoot to kill unless absolutely necessary." He said. "I need your keys."

Hank didn't hesitate to throw them over and then Connor was out the door. He ran every light but thankfully remembered to put his light bar on.

He didn't know how much time Markus had until Nines got there. He wouldn't let Nines become a monster.

The tower came into view but RK900 kept it's pace steady. It didn't need to alert anyone to its plans. It had gotten this far, it wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in his way.

It tried to hide in the shadows, hoping to just skip past. It had received more damage than expected, but it had had to stop to refill on thirium. Thankfully that only pushed it back a few minutes since the store had been run by an android. The one and only good thing about deviants was they thought they cared about other androids.

It limped through the building, taking the back paths to avoid other androids. It wouldn't be long now. Soon it would accomplish its mission.

M̹ͬ͋i̜̦ͭ͝͞s̛̻̟͉ͭ̌̔͆ș̤̯̱̃̉ͫͨͨͮi̛̩̲̟̱͕͔ͨ̇͊̉́ȍ͚̳͓͈͖̟̉̍̉̚͢͡n̙͕̹͍̻̠̱̼ͣ͋̔ͮͯ͗̚͞:̡̢͎̻̦̼͔ͦͮ̏͋ͮͪ̍̚̕͠ ̶̹̲̠̱͉̫̬͇͐̍̃̊ͧ̏͒̇̐P̢̧̠͔̖͇̱̠͉͈̀̀ͧ͗ͯͭ̆͗̎ṛ̷͕͚̳̩̻̲̺ͦ͒̉͗͐͒ͯ̈́͘̚o̡̲̜̳̺͑̑ͥ͌͒̐͛́̄͟͠͠͞͞͠t̷̨̢̫̙͚͉ͬ̒̉̓̽̓͒͟͡҉̳͉͞ę̵̢̩̰̬̰̿͒̃̂̽̓͑̀ͮ͘c̵̨̬̞̜̦̺͓̙ͫ̎̐͐ͫ̏̕͢t̘̦͍̖͚̻̲͖̓͑̍ͭ̉ͬͦ̓̕ ̴͇̲̪̗̺̻̺͆̽ͦ̉͟͞͠ͅC̵̶̗͈̳̮̣̿̽̋̐̀ͬͪŏ̸̬̣̠̙̗̓ͭ̓̽̅ͯn̢͔ͯͤ̾̾ͦ́͑͘̕n̴̖͇̦͉̋͠o̖̩҉̼̰ͯr̴̘͐̔.̰

No. That mission was wrong. It was a glitch. Nothing else. It didn't even know anyone named Connor. Why would it need to protect someone? It's only objective was to kill. 

It stumbled slightly, before putting its hand in the scanner. The sign turned read with an ‘ _ERROR_ ’ sign and it sighed. 

Then there were footsteps running towards it and it spun around to see an HK400, brandishing only a pipe and it’s simulated emotions. It sighed once more before getting into a more comfortable position to fight. This would end in a flash. 

"Nines?!" 

Connor got there as fast as possible, running down hallways he knew Nines was more likely to take. He had already informed everyone to stay away from this level in general, and for Markus to get to the safest place he could. It definitely put him in danger from outside obstacles but Connor was more worried about Nines than any other human or android. 

He heard a loud scream then a thump and he sped up. No one was supposed to be down here! Why didn't they listen? 

He rounded the corner and saw Nines leaning against the wall, his own thirium pump in his hands, and a body of an android in front of him. A loose piece of piping laid beside the body, coated in blue on the one end, and awkwardly bent in half.

"Nines?!" He yelled out, stopping dead in his tracks. There was something in his eyes that sent a shiver down his spine. This wasn't Nines, not the Nines he knew and lov- this wasn't him. This was the virus. 

Yet recognition flashed across Nines's face. "Co-Con. I,-stop, hurt," Nines said, voice coming out staticy before his mouth snapped shut. 

Nines was fighting it. That was him! "Nines, I know you're in there. Please, I can help!" He walked forward, putting his hands up. 

"Do not come any closer. I will not hesitate to destroy you too." Nines said, voice cold and emotionless. 

"Nines I need you to fight this. I'm going to try and interface with you and insert a code to help you fight this." He said, inching forward. 

"I-I Co, no! No, stay, come, away!" It was a jumbled mess but Connor knew what Nines was trying to say. 

"I'm so sorry," he said, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I can't lose you." 

He ran forward grabbing Nines's face and pressing their lips together. He didn't stop even when a hand squeezed his neck. He forced an interface and pushed the coding through. 

It was odd, it was almost like Nines was a hollow shell, but then he felt it. Nines was pushing towards him. 

Then Nines dropped to the ground, completely limp. Connor's eyes went wide and he quickly kneeled down. Nines's LED flashed red and seemed dim but it didn't go out. 

Now he just had to wait. 

It was dark and cold. Something brushed against his mind and he jerked back. His. This was him. Yet there was also something else. Something fighting for control. 

Connor. He- he was there. But no, that wasn't right. Why was he so cold? What had he been doing? 

Connor. Someone named Connor was important, yet he didn't know why. Someone confusing. Something about him was confusing. 

Conn, Con, Co- who. Who was he thinking about? What was he fighting again? 

It was like an eternity, so cold and dark. What time was it? How long had he been fighting? The virus. Controlling him, Canada? Yes, he had run away. He tried to get far. 

Damind and his wife. What was her name? Sil, not that wasn't right. Sam? Maybe. Close- so close. 

Zugzwang, a note. No good movements left. He had run. To protect. But protect who? Himself? No, maybe. Protect. 

_Protect. Protect. Protect._

_'Nines, please just wake up. I just want to talk to you again.'_ a voice said. Who was that? 

Protect. Someone he needed to protect? 

Nines, yes that was him. RK900. Instant deviant. 

_'I don't know Hank, it's been so long. What if he never wakes up?'_ The same voice and feeling. He had to protect. 

Who was Hank? Someone… interesting. Someone he knew. 

How long? Time was odd. It was slow and cold but fast too. This wasn't right. 

_'Kamski said he should wake up any time now.'_ Protect. Protect Kamski? No, that didn't feel right. 

Protect the voice? Yes. Yes, that was right.

8\. 8. 8. 8. 

What did the number 8 have to do with anything? C- C8? What did that mean? 

He was warm. He could feel something under him. Where was he? He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the bright room. The walls and floors were a blinding light. Had he been here before? 

The door opened and he heard someone gasp before running over. He looked at him, and something tugged at his mind. 

"Nines! You're awake. Are you ok? How do you feel?" It was the same voice. He knew this man but didn't. 

His memories. He couldn't… they were cracked and broken and gone. He was broken. "Eight." He mumbled, furrowing his brows. Why was that number so important? 

A warm hand held his. Yes, this was right. "Nines… what do you remember?" 

Remember? Nothing. No one. "I- I don't." He hated the sight of sadness on the man's face. "I'm sorry." 

The man shook his head. "It's ok, I'm just glad you're alive. You didn't wake up for a very long time. I… I was scared I lost you." 

Protect. This was the one he had to protect. He slowly sat him and gently cupped the man's face. He was so soft and warm and fit perfectly into his hand. "I will protect you," he promised. 

The man nodded, tears spilling over as he leaned into his touch. "I will protect you too." 

Good. This was good. He gave a small nod and something tried to push into his mind. "What is your name?" 

"I'm Connor… it's, it's nice to meet you again."

Mission: Protect Connor

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos keep me alive!
> 
> My Connor RP blog is [here!](https://connorandersons-blog.tumblr.com/) Please feel free to come interact with me!


End file.
